‘Alright. It’s not like I’m going anywhere yet,’ Eikichi said, while he chuckled.
Ali raced beside the boulder, peeking around to get a better view of the position of their opponents. There was one standing above a cave that was positioned behind the hills, while the members facing Eikichi were nowhere in sight. He couldn’t look for long as the person above the cave spotted him and fired at him.
Too close for comfort, he thought.
‘What did you see?’ Clara asked.
‘There’s a person positioned high above a cave. They’re acting as support for the guys who have pinned Eikichi. We need to take them out.’
‘What do you suggest?’
He looked at her. ‘You’re not going to like it, but I’m going to need you to run to the cave on the other side.’
Clara’s eyebrows rose in fear. ‘Why?’
‘That way some of the attention can be take away from Eikichi, and he can leave his position.’
‘You can’t expect me to do that. I’ll get shot.’
‘You won’t, I’ll cover you. You have nothing to be afraid of. Just run as fast as you can and get the other member’s attention, okay?’ He placed a hand on her shoulder. ‘You can do this.’
Clara nodded blankly, but not appearing to believe she could pull it off. She took two quick breaths to prepare herself. She grabbed her assault rifle and sprinted straight for the wall. ‘This is crazy.’
While she ran, Ali blistered shots with his semi-automatic machine gun to keep the member above the cave occupied.
You can do it, Clara.
He held his attack until Clara made it to the other side.
‘Alright, I’m in position,’ Clara said.
‘Okay, Eikichi, you should be able to move from your position now,’ Ali said.
Eikichi moved away. ‘Alright, I’m moving now. Thanks.’
Alyssa stood watch inside high rock structures, looking around the field, before she heard crackling sounds from above. She spotted a member about to shoot her. She leapt against the walls, bouncing off them faster than the member had anticipated, like a ping-pong ball. She reached the member and shot her weapon, leaving the opposition with one less member.
One down, six to go.
She listened through the communication channel, paying attention to the events taking place in the arena. She knew things weren’t going well for Eikichi, but she decided not to get involved. She had faith in her teammates. She knew they would be able to succeed in helping him get out of his sticky situation.
Her attention was on Arthur since he was the primary threat. She bobbed and weaved through a narrow ravine, as he fired shots at her. As she moved further into enemy territory, she noticed something about the incoming shots. They were a bit off mark.
This seems a bit out of character for you.
She glanced up at where Arthur was positioned. Taking cover behind rocks, she glanced up and saw someone else positioned in front of the flag post.
Janice was about 200 meters away from Yannick, as she aided Alyssa. She glanced about, while lying on the ground in a prone position with her sniper rifle. She saw members through her scope firing back at Clara and Ali. She fired at them, hitting one in the chest.
‘Another one down,’ she said.
‘Still have eyes on Alyssa, Janice?’ Eikichi asked through the communication channel.
‘Yeah.’
‘Is she close?’
‘Yup.’
‘Good. This exam should be over shortly, once Alyssa retrieves the flag post.’
She noticed there was a drone hovering over different areas of the arena. She looked up and saw one hovering above her.
‘Do you think you can hit Arthur from where you are?’
‘No, Arthur has positioned himself well. I can see something, but it’s blocked by the rockface.’
‘That’s too bad. If you were able, it could make the task of collecting the flag post a whole lot easier.’
‘That’s true, but I think Alyssa can handle herself. Besides if we move any closer, Arthur will be able to get a shot on me and I don’t want to be on the receiving end of that. But I think I can rattle him a bit.’
She looked through her rifle scope and fired three shots, hitting the rock walls close to Arthur, causing him to recoil a little. Shots were fired at her, but they hit the area around her. She chuckled.
‘Janice, Yannick, can you hear me?’ Alyssa asked.
‘Loud and clear, Alyssa. What is it?’ Janice asked.
‘There’s a concern I want to share with you and it’s best you know now.’
‘What is it?’
‘I believe Arthur is on the field.’
‘What do you mean? Isn’t he there by the flag post?’
‘I was under that impression as well. But after finding out that Arthur isn’t there anymore, that means he’s in the field.’
‘Well, that would explain the missed shots. I’ll head back to Yannick. That way if he happens to show up, we’ll be ready.’ She stood up, threw her rifle on her back, and headed back to Yannick.
‘Good.’
‘Don’t worry about him, Alyssa. We’ll take care of it. Just retrieve the flag post and get it over here, pronto.’
‘Alright. Just be careful.’
Janice were about a hundred meters away from their flag post. She didn’t manage to catch a glimpse of Arthur as she made her way back.
No sign of him yet.
She saw Yannick, who was pointing at something behind her, while aiming his assault rifle. This worried her as she knew what it meant.
Oh, shit.
Before she caught sight of what was behind her, her hearing picked up on fast approaching footsteps.
She tried to shoot Arthur with her handgun when they saw him, but he was moving fast, dodging her shots, even the ones coming from Yannick.
With ease, he slipped passed her defences, landing a single shot to her chest with his handgun.
‘Oh, come on! Seriously?’
‘It’s good to see you again, Janice,’ Arthur said.
‘Yeah. Good to see you.’ She was displeased with herself.
She exited the field with her hands on her head, leaving Arthur and Yannick facing one another.
The member securing the opposition flag post, peered through the rifle scope as he watched Janice walk away.
‘He he, sucker,’ he said.
However, the viewing was cut short, when Alyssa leapt onto them, landing a shot to their chest. They groaned from the impact.
‘Don’t get ahead yourself, Alyssa,’ he said. ‘Our man, Arthur, is going to snap up that flag post of yours and win us this match. Just you wait and see.’
Alyssa watched him leave before she glanced through her rifle scope to find Yannick and Arthur were ready for a match of their own.
Well, this is going to be interesting.
CHAPTER 24
THE TWO YOUNG men prepped themselves for their first battle.
‘Let’s enjoy this encounter, Yannick,’ Arthur said.
Yannick didn’t respond. His gaze was fixed upon Arthur, as if Arthur was another challenge he had to overcome. He remained stationed at his post, appearing ready to protect the flag post at all costs.
Then, moving faster than the human eye could see, both powered straight at one another with their firearms relentlessly firing away. They manoeuvred away from the other’s incoming fire, while trying to land a shot on the other.
Yannick was robust like an iron-clad gladiator, never retreating from his position, regardless of how much pressure Arthur was applying, protecting the flag post from being taken.
Arthur somersaulted across the plain, avoiding the barrage of shots Yannick fired. He made it difficult to shoot him because of his lighting speed. It was like he created multiple images of himself on the field as he moved around.
Those watching by the sideline were amazed at Arthur’s inhuman speed.
‘I’ve never
seen someone move that fast,’ Janice said.
‘Neither have I,’ Eikichi said.
They were deeply concerned by Arthur’s display of speed.
Landing hard on his feet, Arthur came to a stop behind a small boulder and thought of a use for it. He saw Yannick reloading his weapon. He seized the opportunity to attack and punched the boulder into two pieces and threw them, one by one, at Yannick. He repeated this with other boulders nearby.
Yannick reloaded, but quickly attached his weapon on his back and cemented his position to face the boulders. He caught the first boulder and tossed it back at the other one travelling behind it, smashing into pieces. He clasped hold of the next rock and demolished the following one.
However, he was caught by surprised when Arthur emerged from within the debris in the air, aiming his firearm at his chest.
Before the trigger was pulled, Yannick grabbed hold of Arthur by the wrist and slammed him to the ground. He quickly kicked the firearm away, while keeping his opponent on the ground.
Arthur wrestled his way out of the grip. He managed to get back on his feet, but he couldn’t react when Yannick launched a powerful punch to his chest which lifted him into the air. He grabbed a limb and hammer-threw him away from the base. His body soared through the air, crashing against a rock face.
Elsewhere, Alyssa had begun her run back with the opposition’s flag post. If she could plant the flag post next the group’s flag post, her team would win and complete the exam. As she passed the hill tops, she noticed Ali and Clara were being pursued by the opposition, while Eikichi was missing. She hopped closer to get better a view.
‘Ali, Clara, where’s Eikichi?’ Alyssa asked.
‘He’s making his way out of the exam now,’ Ali said. ‘He left us about a minute ago.’
She scanned the arena ahead and spotted Eikichi walking toward the entrance.
‘This is not going to happen again. I promise you guys,’ Eikichi said.
She smiled. ‘There’s always next time.’
‘Yeah, yeah, I know. There’s always next time. But I was hoping to do good here though.’
She looked back at Ali and Clara. They were still running away.
‘Ali, do you require assistance?’
‘No, we’re fine,’ Ali answered.
‘Are you sure? I ask because I can see you and Clara have pursuers.’
She saw Ali moving his head around, looking for her.
‘Oh hey,’ he said when he found her, He waved before he resumed with his running when the opposition continued with their pursuit. ‘I see you were able to get the flag post from the opposition.’
‘I was.’
‘Good.’
‘Do you need help?’
‘It’s alright, Alyssa. We’ll be okay.’
‘What’s your status?’
‘We’re running low on ammo, but it’s alright. Just go get us that victory by planting that flag post at our base. That’s the objective of this exam. Don’t let the other team get their hands on ours.’
‘Will do. Are you sure you’ll be fine?’
‘Yes. Now go!’
She continued to move. She glanced ahead where Yannick and Arthur were and saw the pair deep in their confrontation.
It appeared Arthur couldn’t get closer to the flag post due to Yannick’s incredible defensive skills. However, Arthur’s defensive skills were just as incredible as Yannick couldn’t get a shot on him.
Come on, Yannick.
Yannick and Arthur collided again. Both grappled to get a hold over the other, but it was Yannick who quickly got the advantage. He flipped Arthur onto his stomach, while firmly locking his opponent’s wrist, restricting his movements. Arthur swirled, throwing his feet into the air to hit Yannick, but missed and was slammed to the ground again on his back.
While Arthur was lying in an uncomfortable position, he spotted Alyssa approaching with his team’s flag post, as did Yannick.
‘Yannick, just keep Arthur down for a little longer. I’m almost done there,’ Alyssa said, dropping twenty meters onto the ground and heading straight to their flag post.
Yannick watched her, but his attention shot back to Arthur, who appeared to be overpowering his grip with insurmountable strength.
Arthur threw Yannick to the ground and grappled with him in the dirt. This time, he was all over Yannick, barely giving him time to breathe or get up. He manoeuvred the fight closer to Alyssa, blocking her way to her flag post.
Yannick managed to get up and grab Arthur, but his opponent seemed to be increasing with his overall capabilities, one of which, was speed.
Arthur sidestepped and palmed Yannick in the chest, which lifted him into the air and landed another hit. His body flew straight toward Alyssa, causing both to topple to the ground.
Alyssa quickly stood up, aiming her weapon at Arthur, but he was running to her with her team’s flag post tied around his back.
How did you get our flag that fast?
The question went unanswered.
Before she could react, Arthur shot past her at abnormal speeds, grabbing her and Yannick by their heads and threw them against boulders.
The spectators on the sideline watched in awe, and worried about Alyssa and Yannick as Arthur utilised his newfound strength and speed upon them.
‘Is it me or has Arthur gotten stronger?’ Janice asked.
‘Looks that way,’ Eikichi said gravely.
‘That’s Arthur for you,’ one of Group 4’s members said. ‘He’s ridiculously strong. Even stronger than Alyssa and Yannick.’
‘Yeah, I wouldn’t get my hopes on winning,’ another member said.
‘I don’t think you should either,’ Janice told them.
Tension grew between the two groups as the match progressed.
Arthur collected his flag post before checking his firearm for ammunition. It was empty. He tossed it away. He turned to hurried back to base, but Alyssa and Yannick were standing in front of him, appearing ready for another bout.
Alyssa observed Arthur while she regained her breath. To her surprise, Arthur requested a line of communication with them. They accepted.
Arthur sighed. ‘You aren’t going to make this easy, are you?’
His helmet cover disengaged, revealing a plastic shield covering his face.
‘I believe you have something of ours, Arthur,’ Alyssa said, doing the same thing with her helmet.
‘Well, I’m intending to win this match, so I have to take it.’ He slowly walked toward them. ‘I’m sure you understand. After all, that’s what you were doing moments ago.’
‘You’re unarmed and at a disadvantage, Arthur. Are you sure you want to do this way?’
‘I don’t really have much of a choice. Though, if I had to choose, I’d do this way. I won’t deny the efficiency that comes with using firearms. A fight can end quickly. However, I much prefer the use of my hands for combat.’ He paused. ‘So, regale me with your abilities.’ He propelled himself directly at his opposition, as his helmet cover re-engaged.
Alyssa and Yannick responded in kind. Just as the students were about to converge, Arthur tossed one of the poles high into the air before he squared off against them.
‘Yannick, I’ll hold him off. Go get the flag post,’ Alyssa said.
Yannick broke away from the fight and leaped for the flag posts that were descending.
‘Don’t think I’m going to make it that easy,’ Arthur grabbed Yannick’s foot, but Alyssa intercepted him.
The pair exchanged blows while Yannick caught the flag posts. Arthur broke off the fight by kicking Alyssa away, sending her crashing onto her knees. She struggled to get up. The blow hurt a lot more than she had anticipated.
Arthur wrestled with Yannick for control of the flag posts, but Yannick wouldn’t yield. Although, it appeared he couldn’t withstand Arthur any longer as Arthur looked like he took his fighting abilities to another level again. He pulled the flag post out of Yannick’s grip and smacke
d him to the ground.
With the flag posts in his grasp and his opponents in the dust, Arthur sprinted away to secure victory.
Alyssa got up and saw him escaping. ‘What happened to fighting with your own hands?’
‘You didn’t think I was planning to do that until the very end where one of us was left standing, now did you?’
Alyssa smirked.
The pair doubled their speed and managed to shorten the distance between Arthur. But it wasn’t enough.
Arthur could see his base in sight. He increased his pace. He manoeuvred through the ravine and leaped over a large gap. He didn’t get far, as he came to a halt when shots were fired at his feet. He looked around for the shooter.
‘Where are you?’ Arthur asked as he scanned the area.
Then, from out of nowhere, Clara ran toward him, barraging him, which he evaded with ease. She kept firing her weapon, not allowing him to move any further. But that was about to end quickly with her ammunition running low.
After firing her last shot, there’s wasn’t anything she could do. ‘Damn.’
‘A good attempt, Clara,’ he said. ‘But might I suggest you adopt a strategy less conspicuous next time.’
Arthur launched himself onto the rock face and spider-jumped his way to the top where his base was. Just as he was moments away from planting the flag post together, which would secure victory from him, he glanced back at Alyssa and Yannick, who were fast approaching.
‘Until next time, Alyssa.’
‘This is not good,’ Alyssa said.
Arthur reached the top and…
BANG!
Alyssa and Yannick stopped in their tracks when the shot echoed through the area.
Where was that from? Alyssa asked herself.
Arthur stood with the flag posts inches away from being planted, as he glanced at the shot on his chest. He gazed up and saw Ali dangling upside down from the rock ceiling above with his assault rifle aimed at him.
‘Until next time, Arthur, indeed,’ Ali said. He looked over at Alyssa, Yannick and Clara, with his hands in the air. ‘Hey guys.’ Then he lost his grip and fell. ‘Uh oh.’ Arthur caught him. ‘Thanks.’
Wanderers in the Dark Page 18